[GeorgefromGeorgia]

Your allegory sounds a bit like the philosophical basis for segregation under Jim Crow. Its main purpose was to separate the races because Blacks were inferior and would dilute the superior White race.

I am not implying that you meant to infer this racist doctrine, but simply to illustrate that the allegory may be a flawed example. Hopefully, the camel dung is like the tu-- in the chlorinated swimming pool. It is nasty, but the water is probably still not going to make anyone sick.

It does point out the difficulty of assimilation of Muslims into western societies. Assimilation has seemed to work better in the USA than Europe, but frankly, Muslims are not assimilating as well as they should. If they continue to maintain their separate subculture apart from the west, it will continue to be a problem (as it certainly did with the riots in France).

[Alouette]

FRmail me to be added or removed from this Judaic/pro-Israel/Russian Jewry ping list.

Warning! This is a high-volume ping list.

[The Electrician]

I was aware when I wrote it that it could be misinterpreted or misused in exactly the way that you describe. In fact, the same allegory could be misused by an Islamist to decry all Western influences. In the same fashion, stories from the Bible can be (and have been) misused to justify odious acts such as segregation. My answer to that is that any such discussion must take place in the context of values. The problem is not inherent in the allegory itself, but rather it is with the values that the allegory is applied to. If you value the benefits of civilization, such as improved quality of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, then the allegory is entirely appropriate.